Free Republic

People are back in the streets because of Pacific Steel Casting Company. In the past, it has been the issue of pollution. The workers have struck over the issue of health and safety (the same issue, as seen from inside). And now, some 200 workers are protesting unjust job termination, owing to intervention by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), in violation of the spirit of Berkeley as a sanctuary city. This factory remains a problem. There will be a march to publicize this problem on Friday, Feb. 17. Here's a bit of the story (aka history). The factory is a...

chicagotribune.com Cook County's Saul Chavez moment Politics trump justice as board immigration policy frees alleged DUI killer John Kass January 4, 2012 Chicago politics didn't kill William "Dennis" McCann. What killed the 66-year-old man was that black Dodge Neon driven by an alleged drunken driver as McCann walked across Kedzie Avenue last summer. But the politicians allowed the man charged in the fatal crash to skip out of jail despite pleas by federal authorities to hold him. Thanks to Chicago politicians, the alleged drunken driver is most likely hiding in Mexico. "My anger is more directed at the fumbling and...

by John HillStand With Arizona Just one day after announcing his intent to try and block the Federal "Secure Communities" program, the mayor of "Sanctuary City" New Haven, CT announced he would be asking the state legislature to grant illegal aliens in New Haven the right to vote in municipal elections. Mayor John DeStefano argues that illegal aliens who live in New Haven pay local taxes and their kids go to school in the city, and deserve the right to vote: DeStefano said he plans to lobby the state for a “resident voting rights” bill that would allow any...

by John HillStand With Arizona It is hard to overstate the stunning embrace of lawlessness represented by three bills signed by California Governor Jerry Brown this past weekend. Brown on Saturday signed three bills that directly champion illegal aliens. Together, they put the state so far on the side of illegals (and against legal taxpayers), that California now has no legitimate rival for the title of "The Sanctuary State", and should consider changing their official motto accordingly. Facing a midnight deadline for sign several controversial bills, Brown avoided a public signing ceremony for these unpopular bills. He waited until the...

<p>You have to hand it to Gov. Susana Martinez (R-NM): she does NOT back down. This tough former D.A. seems to have inherited her tenacity from her father - a former Sheriff and boxer who won three straight Golden Gloves titles in the 1950s. Her adversaries underestimate her at their peril.</p>

A new study just released by the Public Policy Institute of California has estimated that there are 563,000 illegal aliens living in the San Francisco Bay area. Researchers largely relied on the tax return data of those who used an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, which is reserved for taxpayers who do not have a Social Security number. The study found that within the Bay area, Santa Clara County has the most illegal aliens with 180,000, followed by Alameda County with 124,000 and Contra Costa County with 79,000. The Public Policy Institute of California also estimates the total illegal alien population...

Gov. Rick Perry today released the following statement regarding sanctuary city legislation: "As the special session appears to be winding down, I am disappointed the Legislature did not address sanctuary cities. Working with legislative leaders last weekend, we worked to include sanctuary city legislation in Senate Bill 1. Unfortunately, SB1 Conference Committee [Republican] Chairman Robert Duncan ultimately refused to allow language related to the ban of sanctuary cities into the final version of Senate Bill 1. Because of this action, the special session will not provide our peace officers with the discretion they need to adequately keep Texans safe from...

AUSTIN — Two of Texas’ most powerful business leaders have mounted a late-hour push to derail an anti-illegal-immigration bill in the Legislature’s special session. Houston homebuilder Bob Perry (no relation) and HEB/Central Market grocery chieftain Charles Butt applied pressure Thursday to members of a House panel to block the “sanctuary cities” measure

Fresno, Calif., has edged out Modesto, Calif., to gain the dubious distinction of being the car-theft capital of the country. California dominates the list, with eight of its metropolitan areas named among the top 10 "hot spots" for vehicle theft, according to a new report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).

(Reuters) - The Texas Senate early on Wednesday passed a measure pushed by Governor Rick Perry aimed at cracking down on cities that provide sanctuary to illegal immigrants. "Drug traffickers and transnational gangs should think twice before they step foot in Texas," Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, who presides over the Senate, said in a statement. "Prohibiting sanctuary city policies will make the apprehension, detention and deportation of dangerous criminals more uniform -- keeping us all safer and Texas more secure." The measure now heads to the House, which passed a similar bill during the regular legislative session that ended May...

Bravo! TX State Sen. Chris Harris (R-Arlington) spoke for many Americans when he interrupted the Spanish-language testimony of a Austin-based "immigrant rights" activist (who is a citizen of 23 years) against the Sanctuary Cities ban (SB9), to say it was "insulting" for the man not to speak English. This goes right to the heart of everything that is wrong with La Raza amnesty advocates. The separatism. The sense of entitlement. The contempt for our common language that prior immigrants always hurried to adopt. God bless you Sen. Harris for speaking for all of us!JOIN STAND WITH ARIZONA

Americans are familiar with sanctuary cities and counties but now California appears to be heading toward becoming the first sanctuary state. While Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Arizona have passed legislation taking a tougher stand on illegal immigration, California is heading in the opposite direction with bills such as AB 540, AB 1081, AB 130, and AB 131. American Thinker interviewed several of those who are knowledgeable about the situation in California. California AB 1081, recently passed by the Democratic majority Assembly, would require the Department of Justice to renegotiate its 2009 agreement: to participate in the Federal Secure Communities Act (SCA),...

AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Rick Perry added immigration legislation to the special session's agenda on Tuesday, including a measure that would remove local law enforcement agencies' ability to make immigration violations a lower priority. Other items he added include how local police use the federal Secure Communities program to check people's immigration status when they are arrested, and checking an applicant's immigration status before issuing driver's licenses and personal identification certificates, according to a statement from Perry.

A bill that seeks to ban “sanctuary cities” in Texas has been filed for the special session of the Legislature that began today. State Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, filed HB 9, a bill that would prohibit local entities from enacting policies that prohibits law enforcement from inquiring into the immigration status of a person lawfully detained or arrested. Gov. Rick Perry called a special session of the legislature immediately after learning Monday that the Texas Senate would not pass a bill essential to balancing the 2012-2013 budget. His original proclamation did not include sanctuary cities legislation, which he designated as...

Areli Carbajal Escobar, a violent 32-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico, had a long rap sheet. Over the years in the sanctuary city of Austin, Texas, police and prosecutors had many contacts with him. Yet Escobar was never deported. Now, immigration problems are the least of Escobar's worries. Last week, a Travis County jury sentenced him to death for the brutal rape and murder of a high school honor student. Texas may lead the nation for executions, but most condemned murderers aren't from Austin, the capital, and surrounding Travis County -- for both are enclaves of liberal Democrats in an otherwise...

The California Assembly approved a bill to allow counties to opt out of a controversial federal immigration program that lawmakers said rips families apart, leads to racial profiling and erodes trust between law enforcement and the immigrant community. Under the Secure Communities program, instated by President Obama, the fingerprints of anyone booked into a county jail are automatically cross-checked against immigration databases, and if a person is determined to be undocumented, local authorities hand them over to federal officials for deportation. A growing number of law enforcement officials and public leaders across the U.S., however, are criticizing the program, saying...

The Texas Senate's 12 Democrats formed a united front against a revived "sanctuary cities" bill Monday as Hispanic leaders argued that it would lead to racial profiling and undercut relations between law enforcement and Latino communities. Several Hispanic residents from Tarrant County drove to Austin to participate in a rally on the south grounds of the Capitol after the bill appeared to regain renewed momentum over the weekend. The Rev. Stephen Jasso, pastor of the All Saints Catholic Church in Fort Worth, said the measure would "hurt and endanger" Latino communities. The bill, SB12, is one of Gov. Rick Perry's...

San Francisco has just decided that they will no longer cooperate with the feds when they arrest juveniles who commit felonies. This is being done in the spirit of their Sanctuary law. Sanctuary for violent law breakers, that is. San Francisco has always welcomed illegal aliens and provided them every service imaginable while thumbing their noses at the feds. President Obama and his lame side-kick, otherwise know as Attorney General Eric Holder recently prosecuted the State of Arizona because Arizona had passed a law, with wording mimicking the federal statutes, to enforce immigration laws. Holder claimed the state was precluded...

House, still simmering, OKs sanctuary city bill in late-night voteBy Tim Eaton and Kate Alexander | Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 12:26 AM Texas House members approved the controversial “sanctuary cities” immigration-related bill just before midnight. The vote on House Bill 12, sought by Republicans and declared a priority item by Gov. Rick Perry, was 100-47 along party lines. In the end, Republicans resorted to a brute-force approach that they earlier had tried to avoid after similar moves on Saturday brought bitter discord to the chamber. For much of the day Monday, members of the two parties had retreated into private...

Four months after Gov. Rick Perry put out an urgent request to wrap up a bill cracking down on cities providing sanctuary to illegal immigrants, the Texas House passed it Monday night, advancing it to the state Senate, which is expected to approve it and send it to Perry's desk. Under the bill, police officers in so-called "sanctuary cities" will be able to question detained suspects about their immigration status even if their bosses disapprove. The term "sanctuary cities" is used to describe places where local officials refuse to enforce federal immigration laws and undocumented workers are free to seek...

San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey will start releasing low-level illegal-immigrant criminals from jail even if federal officials notified through a controversial fingerprint identification program request that they be held for a deportation hearing. The new policy, set to begin June 1, is meant to uphold San Francisco’s sanctuary ordinance, which prohibits local officials from assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement with enforcing immigration laws unless it involves a felony. “I’m trying to enforce San Francisco’s city of refuge law,” Hennessey said. “The city of refuge law says we are not supposed to comply with federal officials except with felonies. I’m just...

A bill unveiled today by Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Penn.) would slash federal funding for cities whose local law enforcement don’t enforce immigration laws. The legislation, the “Mobilizing Against Sanctuary Cities Act,” would crack down on more than a hundred American cities, Barletta said during a press conference today. “Local officials who choose not to enforce immigration laws are aiding illegal immigrants,” Barletta said. “My bill makes sure that sanctuary cities no longer get federal money as long as federal officials ignore federal law.”

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton won't revive a directive from his Republican predecessor requiring the state to participate in enforcing federal immigration law, a spokeswoman told The Associated Press Thursday. Spokeswoman Katie Tinucci said the Democratic governor decided against reviving the 2008 executive order from former Gov. Tim Pawlenty because it wasn't necessary. The directive, which expired last week, had required state cooperation with federal authorities in areas such as customs enforcement and fraudulent documents. Tinucci said the directive wasn't needed to enable state law enforcement agents to cooperate with federal authorities, so Dayton made a practical decision not to keep...

On Thursday, Norma Paola Vera-Nolasco, 31, was arrested at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, as she attempted to flee to Mexico. In fact, her U.S. Airways flight had already pulled away from the gate when police ordered it to return. According to the Denver's District Attorney's office, Vera-Nolasko was driving the truck that hit and killed valet, Jose Medina outside a Denver nightclub on Saturday night. She faces two counts of vehicular homicide, criminal impersonation, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Prosecutors say that the illegal alien was drunk at the time of the accident. In 2008, Vera-Nolasco...

An illegal immigrant's frequent arrests in Minnesota over the past 20 years show cracks in a system meant to bar foreign criminals.The guy found passed out in a St. Paul bus shelter near the University of St. Thomas with a drained bottle of vodka in his coat pocket was not just any homeless drunk. Mario Montalban-Ramirez, 61, was convicted of manslaughter in Illinois in 1982, convicted of murder in Texas in 1984 and sent back to his native Mexico three times -- in 1996, 1997 and 2003 -- for being in the United States illegally. He also has been a...

AUGUSTA, Maine — In one of his first official acts, Gov. Paul LePage on Thursday issued an order allowing officials in state agencies to question people with whom they come into contact about their immigration status, infuriating civil libertarians.

ESCONDIDO — Two Escondido police officers suffered serious injuries Monday when they were attacked after responding to an accident. A 35-year-old Escondido man was in custody, and expected to be booked into Vista jail Monday night with an immigration hold because of a prior deportation, Lt. Craig Carter said. He was being held on several charges, including assault on a peace officer, driving under the influence and taking a weapon other than a firearm from an officer, Carter said. Officers Tim Kelly and Chris Leso arrived at 10:57 a.m. to the scene of an accident at Vista Verde Way and...

Utah has long protected illegal immigrants and provided them with endless public benefits, including discounted tuition at public colleges and universities. Two of the state’s largest cities—Salt Lake City and Provo—have official sanctuary policies that forbid public employees or law enforcement officers from inquiring about a resident’s immigration status. The policy inevitably led to the recent murder of a Utah sheriff’s deputy who was gunned down by an illegal immigrant with an extensive criminal record and multiple deportation orders. The Mexican illegal had several felony convictions and had been deported three times yet remained in the U.S. undetected because he...

(CNSNews.com) – The city council of Iowa City, Iowa, is considering whether to turn the municipality into a “sanctuary city” for illegal aliens, but the state's new governor-elect not only opposes the bid, he would like to see Iowa adopt a tough Arizona-style immigration statute.In an interview with CNSNews.com, Tim Albrect, spokesman for Iowa Governor-elect Terry Branstad, said that the incoming governor opposes turning any Iowa city into a sanctuary for illegal immigrants and wants tougher laws against illegal immigration put on the books.“The governor-elect does support an Iowa-specific law similar to the one that passed in Arizona,” Albrect said....

Subsidizing Sanctuary Cities: Federal Government Reimburses for Jailing Illegals, Even When Locals Obstruct Immigration Enforcement WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new Center for Immigration Studies Memorandum finds that the Department of Justice annually awards millions of dollars in grants to local governments to compensate for the cost of jailing illegal aliens, even when those governments have policies obstructing immigration law enforcement or encouraging illegal settlement. The report includes a list of the 27 sanctuary jurisdictions receiving grants in 2010. The grant program, known as the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), doled out a total of $400 million...

How many DWI convictions does it take for an illegal alien to be jailed on an "immigration detainer" by ICE? One? Two? Three? Nope. Try FOUR + a homicide. Robert Benn of TN was struck and killed soon after he landed in Austin for a business trip by Jaime Bonilla, an illegal with 3 prior DWI convictions, yet roaming free in the sanctuary city of Austin. The people of TX and TN must DEMAND answers from ICE, DHS and the City of Austin as to why this illegal alien slimeball felon was free to drink and drive (and KILL) again...

Five people were seriously injured when a Ford Explorer plowed into the crowd that was standing in a shady spot while waiting for a Muni bus in Visitacion Valley on Tuesday. The crash occurred just after 9:30 a.m. near San Bruno and Arleta Avenues. The 24-year-old female driver said she lost control of the vehicle after the steering and brakes failed, according to police. The vehicle reportedly ran into a cement wall at the base of an apartment complex, struck the standers-by and then came to rest at a chain-link fence. The distance between the cement wall and the chain-link...

BURIEN, Wash. (AP) — Carlos Hernandez packed up his family and left Arizona after the state passed its sweeping immigration crackdown. The illegal immigrant's new home outside Seattle offered something Arizona could not: a driver's license. Three states — Washington, New Mexico and Utah — allow illegal immigrants to get licenses because their laws do not require proof of citizenship or legal residency. An Associated Press analysis found that those states have seen a surge in immigrants seeking IDs in recent months, a trend experts attribute to crackdowns on illegal immigration in Arizona and elsewhere.

Community activist Quanell X and relatives of a teen gunned down Saturday railed against America's immigration policy this morning after learning one of the suspected gunmen was in the country illegally. "I believe it is time that the immigration policy in this country has more teeth," Quanell X said before the scheduled arraignments of Melvin Alvarado, 22, and Jonathan Lopez-Torres, 18. Immigration officials have said Alvarado was deported in April 2008 and again in May 2009. "This man should not have been allowed to sneak into the country over and over again and snuff out the life of this little...

A majority of likely voters say the federal government should take legal action against cities that provide safe havens to illegal immigrants and cut federal funds to so-called "sanctuary cities," a Rasmussen Reports survey shows. The survey, released Tuesday, said 54 percent support legal action against sanctuary cities and 60 percent support withholding federal funds from the jurisdictions. Critics of sanctuary cities say the Justice Department is acting unfairly by not pursuing such cities for breaking the law while taking legal action against Arizona for instituting state measures against illegal immigration. "The federal government should be suing San Francisco, which...

The Secure Communities program is intended to make systematic and universal the identification of illegal aliens in police custody — not people pulled over for speeding or broken taillights but those actually booked and fingerprinted. The whole point of the program, politically, is to move away from deporting "ordinary" illegal aliens (i.e., those guilty only of tax crimes, identity-fraud crimes, employment crimes, etc.) and focus only on illegals who have committed "real" crimes. It doesn't even guarantee that all those found to be illegal aliens will actually be deported; as promotional material for the program says: ICE prioritizes the removal...

Opponents of the Justice Department's lawsuit challenging the enforcement of Arizona's controversial illegal-immigration law have hit upon a strategy to highlight what they contend is a gaping inconsistency in the Justice Department's policy priorities. Why should federal attorneys be targeting the Arizona law as an alleged obstacle to coherent and centralized enforcement of federal immigration statutes, they argue, while Justice officials also have done nothing to challenge the legal status of so-called sanctuary cities, which effectively block enforcement of the same federal law? The Justice Department has asked a federal judge in Phoenix to stop Arizona's law from going into...

The Obama administration had gone to federal court to kill Arizona's new illegal-immigration law, scheduled to go into effect Thursday. The Department of Justice argues that enforcement of the Arizona law "is pre-empted by federal law and therefore violates the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution." Does this mean that if Team Obama prevails over Arizona, San Francisco and other sanctuary cities should prepare to go to court against the feds? After all, the Obama brief argues that "a state may not establish its own immigration policy or enforce state laws in a manner that interferes with the federal...

Frustrated at the Justice Department's lawsuit against Arizona's new immigration law, a Republican congressman introduced a bill demanding that the attorney general also take action against so-called "sanctuary cities," which discourage immigration enforcement. Rep. Duncan Hunter's bill is the latest step as lawmakers seek to inject themselves into the debate and force their colleagues to take a stand on the contentious Arizona law. One of those moves failed Wednesday when Republicans tried, but failed, to have the Senate vote on blocking the government's lawsuit against Arizona. Mr. Hunter's bill, for which he started soliciting co-sponsors Wednesday, would stop the Justice...

Coleman said he issued the order as a protest, following several other cities and organizations that are boycotting Arizona. "This law sets a dangerous example for the rest of the country," Coleman said in a press release. "It will create a culture where racial profiling is acceptable, and will create a dangerous wedge between police officers and the communities they serve."

A week after suing Arizona and arguing that the state's immigration law creates a patchwork of rules, the Obama administration said it will not go after so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with the federal government on immigration enforcement, on the grounds that they are not as bad as a state that "actively interferes."

Ever since I watched Clint Eastwood's movie, "Every Which Way But Loose", I have loved Orangutans. Add that to my love of dogs and you will understand that the story of Suryia the orangutan and Roscoe the hound dog would sooner or later grace this site. The duo became mates after meeting at a South Carolina sanctuary for endangered animals. They are now inseparable as Suryia and Roscoe can be seen swimming and playing together daily around the sanctuary.       The narrator of the video is Dr. Bhagavan Antle, who has his detractors like Carole Baskin of "Big Cat Rescue". ...

This question was raised by a reporter during a news conference with the White House Press Secretary. I thought it was a damnded good one to ask. Afterall, AZ's law doesn't conflict with policy. JMHO. There are, however, several cities and states that have policies that do.

[The lawsuit against SB1070 has nothing to do with keeping immigration policy in federal hands.] The Justice Department is preparing a lawsuit against Arizona’s controversial immigration law, likely to be filed next week. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a South American interviewer last week that the Obama administration opposes the law because “the federal government should be determining immigration policy.” The idea that the administration seeks to uphold federal sovereignty in matters pertaining to immigration is hard to swallow. U.S. law prohibits public universities from providing in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrant students, yet ten states currently allow undocumented...

Washington (CNSNews.com) – Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told CNSNews.com Thursday that illegal immigration has not contributed to his city’s budget problems, but, on the contrary, that illegal immigration adds to the "economic might" of California. "In California, I think there’s a real sense that these immigrants provide a great deal to the economic might of the state," said Villaraigosa. (Snip).........Daniel Nasaw, BBC News, Washington: The Los Angeles city council has voted to boycott Arizona businesses in one of the strongest moves yet against the state's new immigration law. Council members agreed to bar official travel to Arizona and avoid...

Illegal Immigration: Los Angeles' city council votes to boycott Arizona for its enforcement of existing federal law. No word yet on how China's human rights violations will be treated. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. The next time the Lakers play Los Suns in Phoenix, traveling fans are advised to bring their own snacks. The L.A. City Council voted 13-1 on Wednesday to economically boycott the state of Arizona for daring to protect its borders against the crime, violence and illegal immigration that recently took the life of an Arizona rancher and has made Phoenix the kidnapping capital of...

The police chiefs of Minneapolis and St. Paul say a proposed state immigration bill modeled after Arizona's law would cause mistrust and have a "chilling effect" in immigrant communities. In a news release issued today, Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan, outgoing St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington and incoming St. Paul chief Tom Smith say that local law enforcement officers should not have to be the primary enforcers of federal immigration laws. The chiefs say such a law would instill a culture of fear in immigrant communities and prevent crime victims and those with information about crimes from coming forward.

Arizona is taking a stand against illegal immigration. It appears also they will pass permitless concealed carry recognizing the Second Amendment is the right to carry openly or concealed. Now San Francisco (of all places) says it will boycott Arizona because of the illegal immigration laws. What a laugh... Where does California find these people? Diane Fienstein said she received 90,000 e-mails and faxes regarding the health care bill and 85,000 of them were against it. She doesn't understand why they just don't get it. Hello! San Francisco is a sanctuary city. I would suggest that Arizona deport all its...

It seems the gang over at San Francisco's Planning Department has been looking at more than zoning codes on their computers - namely, porn.According to City Hall sources, Planning Director John Rahaim has recommended the firing of four high-ups - including veteran Zoning Administrator Larry Badiner - for allegedly receiving and in some cases circulating X-rated photos and videos for years.The material wasn't criminal - we're talking "Debbie Does Dallas" stuff, not child porn - but it was "incredibly inappropriate for the workplace," said one source, who would speak only on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of...

Cities and counties that have sanctuary policies include: Anchorage, AK Fairbanks, AK Fresno, CA Los Angeles, CA National City, CA4 San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA Sonoma County, CA Evanston, IL Chicago, IL3 Cicero, IL Cambridge, MA Orleans, MA Portland, ME Baltimore, MD Takoma Park, MD Ann Arbor, MI Detroit, MI Minneapolis, MN Newark, NJ1 Trenton, NJ1 Durham, NC Albuquerque, NM Aztec, NM Rio Arriba, County, NM Sante Fe, NM New York, NY Ashland, OR Gaston, OR Marion County, OR Austin, TX Houston, TX Katy, TX Virginia Beach, VA Seattle, WA Madison, WI Currently there are two statewide policies regarding...